A Learning Experience
by ErisEvenstar
Summary: Niko takes Tris to meet an old friend after the earthquakes. She teaches Tris a very valuable lesson about trying to halt the tides, one even more important than Niko had taught her.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nothing in the world of Tamora Pierce belongs to me. :] Amaretta and her story, however, do.

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"Niko, where are you taking me?"

"I am taking you to meet someone."

"Who?"

"All in good time, Trisana. All in good time."

Tris sighed, wondering where Niko could possibly be taking her. Who in their right minds would live at the top of a mountain when the rest of the village was at its base? Trees melted into each other as they progressed up the steep incline. Rocks littered the path and branches blocked the way every so often. The recent earthquakes had ravaged the area around the Pebbled Sea, turning strong trees and massive rocks into piles of debris.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Tris inquired of her teacher, trying to keep the whine out of her voice. He had awakened her well before dawn that morning, and had insisted that she get up and pack a bag. They were going on a little trip, he announced. In no place to argue with him, she agreed, stiff muscles still complaining from being cramped for so long when the earthquake had struck the cavern.

"Not much longer, Tris. In fact, we should be passing through the boundaries that mark her land any minute now," Niko replied. He was right. Shortly after his response, Tris felt an odd feeling slip over her skin as they passed through a stand of trees into a clearing.

She stared openly at the clearing. Where other open spaces were littered with fallen trees, rubble, and ruined buildings, this one was in pristine condition. She realized with a start that none of the trees had been impacted around this peaceful little area. Nothing was out of place.

"Niko, where are we?" Tris asked, nervousness seeping into her voice. A place like this should not have been spared of damage from the earthquake.

"We are approaching the house of a woman that I would like for you to meet," he replied quietly. They rode up to the small house in silence the rest of the way. Stopping, he dismounted.

"Stay here for a moment, Tris. I will come to get you momentarily," Niko ordered. She stayed in her place hesitantly, wondering what was going on.

Amaretta felt the wards around her clearing being passed. She stood up from her seat, laying down the heavy tome of raised dots on the table that lay before her. She navigated the room with the ease of long practice, keeping her ears alert for the sound of approaching footsteps.

There. There they were. The sound of hooves beating against the path rang in her sensitive ears as she gathered power in her hands. She was not about to be caught unawares on her own property. She tilted her head as a breeze drifted her way. An interesting scent mingled with the tang of trees. She knew that scent as well as she knew the footsteps that approached her.

"Niklaren, is that you?" She called out. He stopped a few feet away from her. She let most of the power in her hands flow back to where it came.

"How you knew it was me I will never know, nor will I know how you managed to figure out I was here in the first place," he answered.

"I'm blind, Niklaren, not decrepit. My hearing and my ability to detect scents are stronger than ever, I'll have you know." She paused, detecting a new scent on the wind. It wasn't that of a horse, trees, or anything that she was familiar with.

"Are you going to introduce me to the girl you have brought with you, or are you going to make me come greet her myself?" She asked of him, a wry smile forming on her lips. She started forward while he tried to gather an answer.

"How did you-" Niko started, but she cut him off.

"Like I said, Niklaren. I am blind, but I am not decrepit. I still have my wits about me." She reach the horse that still had its rider, stopping right next to where foot met stirrup.

"Hello there," she said, looking up in the general direction of the girl's face. Tris looked at Niko, clearly confused. "I don't bite, you know. I do not know what he has told you, but my name is Amaretta."

"Hello, Madame Amaretta," Tris replied respectfully. Amaretta clicked her tongue in distaste.

"I will have none of that Madame talk. It is Amaretta and nothing more. Come now. Dismount and you can lead your horses to the side to graze with my own," she told the girl. Turning on her heel, she walked purposefully back towards her home, leaving the astonished girl behind her. Niko shrugged at her as if to say, "Well, what else did you expect from anyone I'd introduce you to?" and came to lead his horse to the grazing area.

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Reviews are lovely if you have the time! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Amaretta belongs to me, but sadly Niko and Tris do not. :] (Amaretta is the same charactre as Amie from Reunion, by the way...)

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Niko and Tris walked into a well-lit and cheery home. Amaretta kept it in perfect order, the cleanliness of which reminded Tris of how well kept the clearing was.

"Sit down, won't you? Don't be shy," Amaretta told the two. She busied herself with a pot of tea and several cups. Tris was amazed at how well the woman got around, considering the fact that she was blind. She walked towards them without missing a beat, settling in a chair around the table with them. She pushed the book aside, setting cups and tea pot on the table where it had once lain.

"What brings you and your young charge up here, Niklaren? No, don't answer that. I would be a fool not to feel the power that this young one has rolling off of her in large clouds. I'd imagine that she'd have to be quite special for you to have taken her on, fickle as you are," Amaretta started. Niko grimaced.

"It has been a while," she continued, the hard lines on her face growing softer as she said this. "I have missed you. I know that you have been busy trying to mop up in the aftermath of the quake…" Her voice trailed off as she raised her cup to sip some tea.

"I am truly sorry that it has taken me so long to get back up here. The sentiment is the same from my end, I assure you," he told her. Tris looked at Niko, and then at Amaretta. She was still a bit confused. The silence hung heavily in the air for a few moments before Niko spoke once more.

"Trisana, I am guessing that you are wondering why we are here," Niko said, changing the subject abruptly. She looked back at him.

"Well, yes. Seeing as how you practically dragged me out of bed this morning without so much as a small explanation," she replied tartly. Amaretta laughed heartily at this.

"Still making plans without the other party's knowledge, I see. Tell the girl why she is here already, Niklaren. I, for one, would also like to know why you have made another soul make the trek up here," she broke in. Niko flicked her on the wrist and sighed.

"Tris tried to stop the changing of the tides not too long ago," he began. Tris blushed crimson at this, wishing she did not have to relive this mistake. Amaretta's face changed at the mention of this, the lines on her face hardening once more into a look of serious concern. Niko continued with his train of thought.

"I told her what happens to mages who meddle with the course of nature. I also gave her multiple books and things to read about the subject, showing her that most mages who attempt to change the course of nature end up dead. I know that she learned her lesson, as she was in bed for a long time after the incident, but I would still like her to have a real comparison to what could have happened." He finished, resting a hand on one of Amaretta's. Tris looked at Amaretta, sensing a lecture coming on.

"So you wish for me to tell her of my own folly?" she asked Niko. He squeezed her hand.

"If you would, I would be most appreciative," he told her softly. She sighed, nodding in agreement. She turned to face Tris.

"I am blind," she stated. She continued. "I have not always been blind, however. Once upon a time, I saw the same sunsets and sunrises as you do. However, I made a mistake in my youth." She paused for a moment, trying to choose the right words. "I was headstrong when I was that age. I thought I had all the power in the world. Where you tried to stop the tides, I tried to infuse the power of an earthquake into rocks to make them shake like jumping beans." Tris looked at her, knowing where this was going.

"I am a mage of the earth, you see. I can play with the magma and the tremors like a cat plays with a ball of string." Amaretta laughed harshly. "And that is exactly what I tried to do. When I was 23, I tried to play with the tremors in the earth. They were minour ones, child's play to an 'accomplished' mage like me." Amaretta stressed the word accomplished with a bitter undertone. "I tried to take the tremors that rocked the earth and put them into rocks to make them vibrate. I thought it would be a novel idea, something that I could use as a massage device. I was wrong. I felt small amounts of power into each of those rocks. I succeeded in keeping it there for a time. But it never would stay in them. So I got angry and I tried to put even more power into the rocks. I was staring right at them, furious that they would not do as I wanted them to. I fed more and more power into the boulder before me until I put one drop too many. It recoiled, my power. It caused the rock to shatter into thousands of tiny fragments. They peppered my skin in the aftershock. Some of the shards flew into my eyes, as well." Tris gasped.

"I'm so sorry…"

"I was too. It hurt like nothing I had ever felt before. And in that instant when I overreached my power and tried to make nature do something that it didn't want to, I lost something precious to me. I have been blind ever since that headstrong moment. And while I did not lose my life, I lost my sight. There are worse reapings to what you sow than death, I must say." She quieted for a moment. Niko stroked her hand softly.

"You have quite a level head on your shoulders, Trisana. If you didn't, then you wouldn't be studying with Niklaren here. You also wouldn't have survived the magnitude of your power. Don't be stupid and be stubborn like I was," she finished.

Tris nodded, forgetting for a moment that Amaretta was blind. She then spoke in a soft and almost sorrowful voice.

"I won't try something like that again. I promise," she told the older woman. Amaretta nodded in acknowledgement. Tris continued, even quieter than before. "And…thank you. For telling me your story, I mean." Amaretta flapped her hand at this.

"If it means you can still see the sunsets and the emotions on people's faces, then by all means let me tell it to you again," she answered in return. A wistful smile lit her face. "And let me tell you, I would give anything in the world, I think, to be able to see the sun again, or to see someone smile…" Her voice trailed off. She rose from her spot at the table, briskly handling the cups and the now cold pot of tea. She placed them on the counter and turned to face her visitors.

"I'd imagine that the sun will be trying to set quite soon. It is time that you headed back to Winding Circle, most likely," she told her guests. Niko sighed in agreement and instructed Tris to go get the horses.

"She's a good girl, Niko," Amaretta told him softly. He agreed with her, and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips. She rested her forehead against his.

"Thank you for coming to visit, Niko. It does get lonely up here sometimes. You should come back soon, and bring her along again some time. I'd love to show her a thing or two about the earth."

Niko laughed as they walked towards the door. He was sure that she had all sorts of things that she could teach his young charge.

"I will be back soon, I promise." Tris walked up, leading the two horses. Niko took Amaretta into a tight embrace while Tris looked on, and reluctantly they let go of each other.

"Go on, now. You do not want to be caught on this mountain after nightfall, I assure you. Trisana, it was a pleasure meeting you. Do come back again, and I will teach you some new things that won't leave you blind." Tris laughed at this. "And make sure to drag your teacher out of bed to come along, too. I'd hate for him to miss the fun of rocks flying through the air!" Niko laughed good naturedly at this as he and Tris swung onto their saddles. Amaretta raised her hand in salute and waved them off, listening as the sound of the hoof beats faded into the distance.

Amaretta raised her head to stare directly into the sun's face, feeling its warmth spread across her skin. One day, she thought. One day she would be able to tell her story and be able to see the reactions it garnered at the same time.

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Questions? Comments? Concerns? :D I love reviews, if you have the time! I'll try to write more once November is over...NaNoWriMo is almost done! I'll finish Malfoy Names and Drinking Games, and I think I have something that will even revive Reunion! Haha. Thanks for reading!


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